Waffle iron



A. M. YOUNG June 12, 1951 WAFFLE IRON Filed Oct. 14, 1949 Figi.

` Iventor'- AI lan M. Young. by l His Att of-neg.

Patented June 12, 195i UNITED STATES PATENT oEElCE Allan M. Young,` Meriden, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application october 14, 1949, serial No. 121,355 2 Claims". (-cl. :J9- 350) My invention relates to a cooking device in the nature of a waffle iron, for baking a novel shape of waffle product. More particularly, my invention relates to a, formation of grids and heating elements in-wafiie irons. Specifically, this invention is directed toward an improvement of one of the grids in a waffle iron so that a new shape of wallie may be effectively baked.

One of the objects of my invention is to pro'-v vide a waflle iron which is relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture although it is designed for baking a special shape of wafie. lAnother object of my invention is to providev a waffle ironI utilizing natural heat convection for improving the lquality of the product being baked. A furu ther object is to provide a wale iron yfor making waffles with up-standing rims, wherein provision is made for insuring the proper formation and baking of the rims. Y n Y ,u

Other objects and the details of thatwhich I believe to be novel and my invention will be clear lfrom the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawing in which is shown an example of wafe iron according to my invention incorporatingY the improved lowergrid and heating element arrangement. In the drawing, Fig. l is a side View partly in section of a waffle iron according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional side views of a rwaiiie, made lby a waflieiro according to my invention, showing lits Shape- I have sl'oii/"nV niy invention as' applied to a waffle iron of the electricallyheated type,,al though it is obvious that other sources of hea-t might be used accordingto some aspectsof the invention, and also it is shown as applied' to such an iron havingrhorizontal grids, whereasit is equally applicable to irons having grids otherwise arranged, vertically for example. In the example shown, the complete waie iron includes a conventional outer lower shell I, with an apron or base 2, carrying feet 3. Hinged to this lower shell by a conventional hinge connection 4 is an upper shell 5 which has the usual handle 6 for manipulating the upper shell between open and closed positions with respect to the lower shell.

Carried within the upper shell is an upper grid 'l which is provided with uniformly spaced bosses 8, these bosses being designed to produce the usual waffle pattern on the product which is being baked. It is also customary that the grid have a circumferential depression of about the same width and depth as the spaces between the bosses, and I have indicated this at 9 in the drawings.

The'upper grid is heated b'y an electrical heating element i9, which is shown in the form of an inner insulating piece H of ceramic or other suitable material, which is surrounded by a coiled electrical resistance wire I2 of nichrome or other satisfactory material. The resistance wire is, of course, suitably connected to a source of electrical power in the usual fashion, as by a cord set, not shown.

Up to this point the waie iron described is not different from conventional devices known beforemy invention. I desire to produce a waiiie iron capable of making a waiiie with an up-standing rim, so that the baked product can be filled with ice cream, jams, chicken a la kin`g,'crushed fruit or anythingv else the hungry heart might desire;

Several problems arise which must rst be solved before satisfactory baking of a waffleof the desired shape can be accomplished. In the rst' place, it is desirable that the outer rimof the waflie always be of full depth and of complete' extent around the waffle. Secondly, the addition of arilii around the wafile introduces theproblem of properly baking such a rim so that it` will be completely and evenly cooked. There is also the problem of possible sticking of the completed wafflef to the baking' grids. My invention pre-v sents solutions to all of these problems in the 30' baking of the novel lshape waffle.

In order to accomplish the desired' effect, the

lower grid i3, which matches the upper grid in' size and general shape, is provided with upstanding bosses icl similarrto those on the upper grid, but the lower grid isy provided with a sube stantiallyvertical inner circumferential wallflf" and asu'bs'ta'ntially vertical outerl circumferem tial'wall l whichform'b'etween them a c ircum' ferenti'al depression `Olgro'ove il aroundtljie,` edge of the lower grid;v This annular4 depression" or trough is of substantially greater depth than the depth of the bosses or nibs on the grid, and preferably approximately twice the depth of the bosses, as shown in the drawing. This depression is also about the same width or horizontal thickness as the space between the bosses, for best cooking results.

Below the lower grid is the lower heating element I8, shown as comprising an insulating support I9 surrounding an annular coiled wire resistance element 29. It will be noted that the vertical spacing of the resistance element 2B from the bottom of the lower grid proper is approx-- imately the same as the horizontal spacing between this element and the inner wall of the de- 3 pression or trough Il. This same spacing is continued around the whole waiiie iron so that an even baking of the rim of the waffle is assured.

Suitable connection of the resistance 2B to a source of electrical power is made in any desir able fashion, as is customary.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a waile 2| produced by the waiiie iron of my invention. This waiiie has an up-standing rim 22 and ridges 23. The outer rim is formed between the walls l and EE which denne the trough Il. The ridges 23 are formed within the spaces between the bosses S and Ul. Within this dish-shaped waiiie may be placed any sort of food 24 to supplement or enhance the baked product. The shallow lower outer rim 25 supports the deep rim 22 around the edge of the waiiie when it is placed on a plate 2B and is, Voi course, formed within the annular depression e cf the waiiie iron.

The grids of a wallie iron according to my invention may be made of cast aluminum, iron, or other suitable material. It is a peculiarity of waffle irons of this type, having horizontal grids, that the waiiie will usually tend to stick more to the upper grid than to the lower grid when the wafie iron is opened. This is perhaps due to the fact that the upper grid is never heated to quite the same extent as the lower grid because of heat losses. However, I take ad vantage of this peculiarity and place the depression for forming the deep rim in the lower grid, so that any possible increased sticking due to the increased depth of the waffle may be partially or wholly overcome by the natural tendency toward greater sticking in the upper grid.

It will also be noted that by placing the deep trough Il in the lower grid, the force of gravity insures a now of the semi-liquid batter rst to this portion of the iron when the iron is being lled, so that a complete rim on the completed wallie will be assured. This would not be so if the rim depression were placed in the `upper grid, where one would have to rely upon the raising of the batter during baking in order to produce the deep rim.

It will be noted that the heating element 29 is located within and surrounded and overhung by the walls I5 and i6 which form the depression il. This effectively traps heat under the lower grid and further aids in uniform baking of the waiiie proper and of the rim 22 of the Waiiie.

Although I have shown a waiiie iron which by implication produces a waffle of round form, the waffle iron need not produce a product of this shape but may be designed to produce a waiiie oblong, square, or any other shape desired. It is the rim around the completed wallie which is important, and the structure in the iron for producing this rim successfully.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of my invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and I contemplate that various and other modifications and applications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, my intention that the appended claims shall cover such modications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. A waffle iron comprising a pair of opposing grids, said grids having a plurality of opposed spaced bosses, one of said grids having walls at its periphery Vdeining an annular peripheral channel of a depth substantially equal to the depth of the bosses on that grid, and the other grid having walls defining a peripheral channel opposite said rst named channel and having a depth considerably greater than that of the bosses on that grid so that the waffle cooked between said grids is formed within an upright peripheral rim, and means for heating said grids.

2. A walile iron comprising a horizontal lower grid provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced upright bosses, an upper matching grid with corresponding bosses movable with respect to the lower grid, said lower grid having at its outer edge inner and outer substantially vertical walls forming between them a re-entrant circumferential depression around the outer edge of said lower grid of a depth substantially greater than the depth of said bosses on said grid and of a width substantially equal to the spacing between said bosses, means for heating said upper grid, and means for heating said lower grid mounted thereon within the space surrounded by said peripheral depression and including an insulating support and a heat generating conductor on said support located below said grid and extending continuously therearound inside said depression and positioned substantially equal distances from the bottom wall of said grid and the inner wall of said depression.

ALLAN M. YOUNG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,729,562 Guest Oct. 1, 1929 1,742,945 Bani Jan. 7, 1930 1,947,124 Clauss Feb. 13, 1934 2,187,515 Gerdau Jan. 16, 1940 

